Efile, ERAs and EFTs

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Why Do People Hate Electronic Health Records (EHRs)?

Actually, most patients don't. A recent study conducted by Catalyst Healthcare Research found that 93% of adults would prefer to go to a doctor that offers email communication, even if there was a $25 fee (Pai, 2014). Encrypted email is incorporated into most, if not all present-day EHRs that also have patient portals. By being integrated with the entire medical record, it's relatively easy for doctors to correspond with patients right from their electronic chart. Leaders in prominent health care groups in Houston, encouraged patient enrollment in their EHR system and have found similar results. Dr. Robert Dickinson, Kelsey-Seybold's medical director for executive health and wellness says, "They think it's the coolest thing they've ever seen. It's like online banking. People love this kind of access. Before, it was kind of mysterious" (Hines, 2014).

However, when you ask doctors if they like EHRs, you often get an entirely different story. You mostly hear dislike, frustration and irritability. There are actually excellent reasons for this.

Can’t I Do Mental Health Insurance Billing at their Websites?

Short answer? Yes. You can. However, there are some good reasons why you may not want to: 1) It may end up being more costly. 2) It takes more time and work. 4) The learning curve is greater. 4) Client records are scattered and may be difficult to retrieve.

World’s Easiest Efile: Just Save the Session

Efiling is a 2-step process:

  • Tell us which insurance company your client has (you only have to do this once)
  • After that, each time you add a session, PSYBooks automatically efiles the information to the client’s insurance company unless you tell us not to
That’s it. It really couldn’t be easier. And, in fact, even telling us which insurance your client has is pretty easy because you just select the insurance company from a list and then enter your client’s ID on the Add Client Insurance form:

Managing ERAs with PSYBooks

When you sign up to receive ERAs in PSYBooks, allocating the data to your client charts is easy. When we receive ERAs, we parse them for you. That means that by the time you see them, we already have the client’s name filled in and the correct amount entered in each of the fields (session date, amount allowed, deductible, amount paid, etc.). The screenshot below shows you what an ERA you receive might look like when we deliver it to you:

Round it Off with an EFT

EFT, which stands for electronic funds transfer, is the third “E” in “Efile, ERA and EFT”. Once you’ve signed up for EFTs with an insurance company, they will deposit the payments they send you directly into your bank. Since EFTs only involve the transfer of money, PSYBooks isn’t actively involved. However, whether or not you want to go the EFT route instead of receiving paper checks, you may want to sign up for ERAs, which are the electronic equivalent of EOBs. Receiving ERAs in PSYBooks means that you no longer have to enter insurance payments by hand. You just have to look over the ERA to see if it seems correct and click Save.